VIVA Gallery will feature Christine Myhr as guest artist during the month of June,
opening her exhibit with a First Thursday reception on June 1. Christine, a long-time resident of Gays
Mills, Wisconsin, paints directly from life, always seeking to capture the play of light and color in her
landscape and still life paintings.
Christine graduated in 1987 with a B.A. in Art from Gustavus Adolphus College in St.
Peter, Minnesota. In 1986, she had the unique opportunity to study abroad at The Marchutz
School of Drawing and Painting in Aix-en-Provence, France. There she learned to paint in both
oil and watercolor, spending a year immersed in the light, color and beauty of Provence. She
also studied art history through visits to museums in Paris and painting trips to Venice, Italy.
After graduating from Gustavus, Christine went back to France in 1989 and spent another year
studying at the Marchutz School. She continues to learn and grow as an artist by taking
workshops, showing work at galleries and art fairs, and sharing knowledge with a wonderfully
supportive community of local painters.
Christine’s oil paintings, along with the diverse works of VIVA’s other 18 member artists, will be featured
at VIVA’s First Thursday reception on June 1 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm and will be on display throughout
the month. The gallery is located at 217 South Main Street in Viroqua. For more information about this
and future First Thursday events, contact the gallery at 608-637-6918 or info@vivagallery.net.

Winners of the Driftless Area Art Festival Peoples Choice 2016 Award, Ken and Michelle Workowski. Ken and Michelle are members of VIVA Gallery and we are honored to feature their work the month of May.

Ken and Michelle reflected in their work.

April 20, 2017— VIVA Gallery’s monthly First Thursday artist reception will be held on May 4 and will
feature the beautifully crafted natural furnishings of Ken and Michelle Workowski. The gallery sponsors
the People’s Choice Award at the Driftless Area Art Festival, and the Workowskis were the winners of
the award at last year’s festival. VIVA is doubly pleased as Ken and Michelle are member artists.
Ken and Michelle have always had a fascination with the raw beauty in nature—the absence of straight
lines and the patterns and curves traced and formed by the elements. As their business, aptly called The
Nature of Things, has evolved over the years, they have taken that raw beauty and transformed it into
practical furnishings, including willow and wood furniture, birchbark frames, poplar bark baskets, lamps
and lamp shades. Many of the materials they use come from their 50 acres of land near Viola.
In a world increasingly full of concrete, steel and electronics, the Workowskis understand that we all
have a need to connect with the natural world. Their work is not only satisfying because of its strong
design, but also because pieces often evoke an emotional response. The tactile pleasure of touching
rough bark or smooth wood, the visual treat of intricately woven willow or laced poplar, the
appreciation of the clever uses of nature’s palette in creating truly unique pieces of furniture—all are
sensations that stem from their varied pieces. You are guaranteed to feel a connection.
The engaging natural works of art created by Ken and Michelle, along with the diverse works of VIVA’s
other 16 member artists, will be featured at VIVA’s First Thursday reception on May 4 from 5:00pm to
7:00pm and will be on display throughout the month. The gallery is located at 217 South Main Street in
Viroqua. For more information about this and future First Thursday events, contact the gallery at 608-
637-6918 or info@vivagallery.net.